TA credibility - our own worst enemy?

Go to page

LE

I have just returned from a TA course where the majority of those attending have had recent operational experience, and brought a lot of civvie experience to add to the mix. By and large, a credit to the TA.

However.....

Two insisted on wearing desert kit instead of CS 95 because they were "just back from Iraq/Afghanistan". One even wore his ID disks to the bar. Funny that they both had time to go home and pick up their mess kit for the dinner night though.

One insisted that he would walk around in scruff order wearing the old head dress of a since merged unit because he was "special". The other three "special" people wore the correct uniform and beret, as do those on the regular course.

One appeared to have patch painted a 9x9 to wear as a CS95 shirt, and was out of breath by his third trip to the hotplate, but joined in to defend the position of soldier first, specialist second, everyone needs to be "fit to fight"

I believe that the 99% of the quality people on the course are likely to slip from the memory of the DS and the regular course attendees fairly soon, but these 4 will linger in the memory, thus perpetuating the old myths of walts/unfit wasters we are working hard to remove.

LE

atleast a third of my current building site is wearing them....[/quote]

As cheap arse clothing no doubt bet they get cold as the temperature drops .
Ok a soldier who has other clothing on issuse and choses to wear deserts
in the uk is walting imho.Nobody likes a smartarse.

LE

Once back from the Sandpit the only bit of desert kit that should be worn is the issue socks as my feet have never been better in them! Surely people who are attending UK courses in desert kit are incorrectly dressed and should be gripped accordingly and I agree that it does nothing to help our STAB image.

Old-Salt

These people make me cringe, I have no time for people like this and it makes me wonder why the rest of us work hard at looking smart and being fit and up to the job. I have also been on courses where there are people like this and why they are not set back to unit and made an example of I will never no.

LE

I have just returned from a TA course where the majority of those attending have had recent operational experience, and brought a lot of civvie experience to add to the mix. By and large, a credit to the TA.

However.....

Two insisted on wearing desert kit instead of CS 95 because they were "just back from Iraq/Afghanistan". One even wore his ID disks to the bar. Funny that they both had time to go home and pick up their mess kit for the dinner night though.

One insisted that he would walk around in scruff order wearing the old head dress of a since merged unit because he was "special". The other three "special" people wore the correct uniform and beret, as do those on the regular course.

One appeared to have patch painted a 9x9 to wear as a CS95 shirt, and was out of breath by his third trip to the hotplate, but joined in to defend the position of soldier first, specialist second, everyone needs to be "fit to fight"

I believe that the 99% of the quality people on the course are likely to slip from the memory of the DS and the regular course attendees fairly soon, but these 4 will linger in the memory, thus perpetuating the old myths of walts/unfit wasters we are working hard to remove.

LE

When asked, it was all "only landed at Brize today" - benefit of the doubt to start with, outright ridicule once it became evident they were bluffing. Even better when one turned up in mess dress which was exactly that - a civvie cocktail dress with mess dress jacket over the top. Hurrah for the CRE!

"Special" man was more "special needs" and the world pie eating champion was never going to be able to change over the length of the course.